Casket lowering apparatus



13, '1931. H. E. ROSENKRANZ' 2 CASKET LOWERING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 22, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet I f am INVENTOR.

H. 5 Fasenh'un A TTORNE Y.

Oct. 13,1931.

H. E. ROSENKRANZ CASKET LOWERING APPARATUS.

Filed Jan. 22, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 illi!!!)iqllllll I 'IIIL IN VEN TOR 4 Easenkran A TTORNEY 3 1931- H. E. ROSENKRANZ 1,826,898

CASKET LOWERING APPAR ATU S Filed Jan. 22, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 5 3 INVENTOR.

4,0 H 6. Ewen/Wan I ATTORNEY.

. Patented 19 31 v nUGo,E. nosnnxnwa orsosnnosn, Wisconsin CASKET nowmxne nrrnnngins y Y Applicatiiin filied I Jame 22, 1929.] sen-Arno; ssszmflf The object of my said inventionisth provision of a casket lowering apparatus which is strong in constructionand dependable-in action, the *latter; being dueto -the-friction to which the Working parts of the apparatus' are subject incident. to the lowering, of-a casket and which friction is, at alljtimesin proportion to the. Weight of th sk tb i lowered. I p s it To the attainment bf the fore oing ss Vention consists in the improvementashere inafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying" .Figure'l is a plan view of the apparatus constituting the preferred embodiment of the invention, in use.

Figure Q'isa slde elevation, and Figure .an end elevation ofjthe same.

Figure it is a broken vertical sectiongion an";

enlarged scale, illustrative of one endlof the apparatus iQ tires 1 and 2. o 7 o- Figure 5 isa section on line 55 offig'ure 4 and showing aportion of one'side of the apparatus;

Figure '6 1s avertical-sectionon the 'line;

6-56 of Figure'l, looking in the direction in dicated by arrovv; I

are wound.*

ly in elevation and partly in sectio'nflshowing the upright Worm ofthe apparatus and certain elements associated therewith;-

1 Figure 9 is an venlarged detail horizontal section taken in the plane indicated byvthe line 9-9 of Figurekand showing ,anziin fFigure 12 is a view'on a large scale ofthe drawings, f f o'rmingo part of thisspecification:

' 'fE a'ch 'of' the shafts 4 is e., the end at the; right in'Fig v U shaped spring strips 'l0;(the said spring Figure 7 is an enlargeddetail viewriofwa portion of one of the longitudinal parallelside shafts to which} the casket supporting" straps are connectedand on which saidstraps} Figure 8 is an enlarged'detailview;parts hand locking and unlocking device used: in

conjunction. with' the apparatus a's'hereinafter described.

Figure 13 is a View inafter explicitly referredto. p v bimilar numerals of referen'ce designate correspondingparts in all of the Views of the (l1&W1'l1gS. A burial casketl isshown inF-igures 2 and 3 as being lowered in a grave 2, through the mediumof strong straps 3 inloops 'on which 'thecasket'rests'as shown. I l Theends of thesaid straps3 are connected tolongitudinal, parallel shafts 4 and are (issigned to bewoundjon'saiol shafts and to be let off the same One of said connections is shown in Figure 17: and designatedby 5,'andsaid figure also shows the-Winding of a strap 3 onits-shaft h j i "tubular and has "apertures 7 in its Wall. End tubular sections .8 are-telescopically arranged in the-shafts 4L and are" equipped with fastening studs 9' i onstrips;being con'nected to the inner sides-of the Wallsofthe sections8, and the studs ex tending through aperturesm the sections -8 and into; apertures? of thevshafts for thef ast'eni-ngjof the shafts 4 and sections 8 together." Manifest-1y the provision of'apei'rv tures 7 in each end portion-of the shaftse permits-of the sides or longitudinal portions beinglincreased 'or diminished in length as occafsion demands. 1 I 5i? 5 "The connectionst for the ends of the straps 3,.Figure 7 to the tubular shafts-tare 5 arranged in bighfts at the ends of the straps;

and each of said connections 5 hasanangular 1;

portion 11" at one-end engaged with its shaft 1 "t'insand-adjacent t'oj'anl aperture 12Fin the= 'shaftwall while its opposite end' isf provided 0 Withffan angula rly-disposed"t'oe 13 removabl' y arranged in an aperture 14inthe'sliaft walh {By virtueof this construction thefstraps 3' may berreadily connected to and disconnected from'the shafts 4 When desired; and yet there .is no liabilit 'of'any strap end being casually disconnecte from; its shaft 4 While thesp paratus' is in operation. f p I In addition .to'the'elements thus far specifi ic'allyi referred to, f the apparatus comprises of a modification herei v Lil ' with a worm 27.

to inequalities of the groundadjacentto a rave.

a Interposed between and conncting the-casings and 16 together is a connector made up of an intermediate tubular section 22 and end tubular sections 23 adjustably connected to the section 22 and connectedto the casings 15 and 16 after the manner shown in Figure 6 at 24 or in any other approved manner. For the sake of clearness I would say that the section 22 is adjustably connected with the sections 23 in the same manner that the before-mentioned shafts 4 are connected to the sections 8; also, that the adjustable connection of the sections 22 and 23 is resorted to in order that the width of the apparatus may be increased and diminished as occasion demands, I

Oneof the shaft sections 8 is journaled in and appropriately held against endwise movement relative to the casing 17, and lined on said shaft section 8 and arranged in casing 17 is a spur gear 24, intermeshed with a spur gear 25 fixed to aworm gear 26 that is meshed H The connection intermediate of the casings 17 and 18, Figures 1, 10 and 11, comprises a tubular intermediate section 28 and tubular s Actions 29 telescopically arranged in the section 28 and adjustably connected thereto, Figure 10, through the medium of buttons 30 carried by spring strips 31 attachedjto the sections 29 and adapted to exten'dthrough apertures in said sections 29 and into apertures 32 of the section 28.

VTurnable in the section 28 is a head33,

and connected at 34 to said head and extending in opposite directions therefrom aretubular shafts 35 of angular cross-section, Figures 10 and 11.

Telescopically arranged in the shafts 35 are shafts 36 and 37, Figures 4, 10 and 11,

of corresponding cross-section. The shaft 36 is connected at 38, Figure 4, to the beforementioned worm 27 in casing 17 and the shaft 37 is connected at 38- to a worm39 mounted in the casing 18. v, V

The side section 8 adjacent to the casing 18 is connected at 40, Figure 5, to a flanged sleeve 41 journaled in the casing 18 and fixed to a spur gear 42 disposed within the casing. Said gear 42 is meshed with a gear 43 fixed on a shaft 44, and also fixed on said shaft 44 is a worm gear 45 meshed with the worm 41: 39c Fixed to the worm 39 is a worm gear 46,

Figure 5, and meshed with said worm gear 46 is an upright worm 47, Figures 4, 5 and 8. Theshaft 48 of theworm 47 is journaled in the casing 18 and is flanged at 49 for the pivotal connection at 50 of horizontally swingable members 51, equipped at 52 with appropriate friction-creating material and disposed in a cylindrical member 53 fixed in the casing 18. In the event of the worm 4? tending to turn too fast incident to the gravitationaldescent of a casket that is being lowered through the medium or t iei apparatus,

-themembers 51 by exerting pressure against the casing 53 will frictionally hold back the worm 47 and retard the descent of the casket as is desirable. j. v

Rotation of the worm 47 anddownward movement of a casket are prevented in the first instance by the action of a sleeve 54 against a friction pad or felt disk 55; said sleeve being threaded in the casing 18, Figure and a portion of the casing 17, the pad 59 being between a flange 62 on the shaft of the worm 39 and a portion of the casing 18 and the pad being between the bottom of the cylinder 53 and the lower flange 49 of the worm 47.

, It follows from the foregoing that the casket being lowered is subject during the lowering operation to friction, and is at all times incident to the loweringchecked by one or more of the pads; also, the greater the weight of the casket the greater will be the friction created by the action of the pads, due to the fact that said weight automatically causes the various worms and gears to push upward and outward against their respective friction surfaces. 1'

It will further benoted that in my improvement means for creating friction are present adjacent the lower end and the upper end of the main worm 47, and that all of the worms are, in action, thrust against pads with the result that the friction is increased in proportion to the weight or pull on the straps of the casket that is beinglowered.

By virtue of the construction shown in Figures 10 and 11 provision is made for extension or. retraction of the means connecting the casings 17 and 18 for adjustment purposes and yet a positive and strong connection is afforded between the worms 39 and 27 for 7 jacent to the four corners of a grave and in that way conduce to proper operation of the apparatus.

In Figure 13 I show the shaft 48 0f worm together with said sideshafts, and friction creating pads associated with two of the casings and the worms therein and subject a to endwise thrust of the Worms, and friction creating means enclosed in one casing and about a smooth portion of one worm and adapted to restrain rotation'of said'worm.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HUGO. E. ROSENKRANZ.

47 equipped with a disk 48 for cooperation V with a foot lever 49", fulcrumed in the adjacentcasing. This construction can be used eitherat the top or at the bottom of the worm I andconstitutes a brake attachment. When the gravitational action of a casket, said deemed expedient the said disk may, within the purview of my invention, be attached to the rod which ings.

' Figure 9 makes clear adjustment meansfor connects the twogeared casthe swingable members 51. The extra holes in members 51 are advantageous because by placing the pins 50 in different holes of the members 51 the friction may be increased or diminished, as is desirable.

I have entered into a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of my inven tion in order to clearly disclose said embodiment. I do not desire, however, to be understood as limiting myself to the construction I and relative arrangement of the elements as shown and described, my invention being defined by my appended claimswithin the scope of which modifications may be made without departure from my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to securevby Letters Pat ent, is: V r

p 1. The combination with a casket lower ng apparatus including casket suspending straps, side shafts turnable to let said straps off the same, and corner casings in which said shafts areturnable, of means for checking the turning of saidshafts under the gravitational action of a1 casket, said means timqludfing meshed worms and worm gears, the worms having smooth portions, in two of said, casings and-positively connected togetherand with said side shafts, and friction creating means enclosed in two of the casings and arranged to cooperate with the smooth portions of the worms therein. 1

2. The combination with a casket lowering apparatus including casket suspending straps, side shafts turnable to let said straps off the same, and corner casings in swivel connection With said side shafts, and connectors between said casings, of means for checking theturning of said shafts under means including meshed worms and worm gears, the worms havlng smooth portions, in two of sald casings, and positively connected 

